Media Coverage
F.STOP INTERVIEW
Zoe Sinclair and Andrea Blood, are The Girls, a photo team whose cheeky, surreal work has already bagged them loads of prizes
How did you two get together?
We met during art A level in our home town of Poole, Dorset, and just clicked. Then at Bournemouth College, we were handpicked by St Martin's School of Art. We’ve been The Girls for a couple of years – it was our nickname. We have better ideas together than we ever do apart, and we support each other in this backstabbing business.
What’s in your kit bag?
Vaseline, Copydex and spare nylons (American Tan). For every project, we hire different cameras and experiment.
Who was your mentor and what was their best advice?
The photography department* at Saint Martin's. Their advice was: ‘control the controls, and do what you do.’
*John Ingledew, Tim Marshall, Gary Wallis, Steve Harries, Dave Hendley
What is your biggest luxury?
Having three years at Saint Martin's to experiment as we did, doing a graphic design degree. We chose to enter lots of competitions to try to establish a profile and for the financial incentive. And it’s exciting to respond to real briefs.
What picture would you kill to have taken?
Someone in the 1930’s or ‘40’s accidentally caught a woman committing suicide just before she hit the pavement – she looks like a rag doll. The chances of that happening, it’s unbelievable.
What’s your best piece of work?
It’s always the last piece because it’s the freshest, and you try to improve every time.
What personal qualities help you do what you do?
Perfectionism and having a shared vision.
The photographer we most admire is…
Madame Yevonde. She pioneered the use of colour photography. She did fantastic portraits and still lifes with a witty twist.
Tell us about the one that got away…
One day sitting on the bus, we spotted two male albino twins in their 20’s. They would have made great portraits – and escorts for us!
Choose one:
Black and white or colour?
Colour
Sahara desert or Arctic circle?
Arctic
Handhold or tripod?
Handhold
35mm or medium format?
Medium format
Flash or natural light?
Natural light
What is your favourite picture of all time?
It changes depending on what we’re working on, and the theme, but one springs to mind – ‘Senior Prom, St Petersburg, Florida, 1986’ by Mary Ellen Mark. The intensity of emotion just sums up being a teenager really.
How do you fuel your creativity?
We collect references obsessively, from china shops, postcards, old books..
Who would you most like to share a photo booth with?
Duran Duran – as they looked in 1981. All five of them.
What do you wish you were better at?
Putting names to faces. We’re meeting so many new people now, it gets tricky.
Compiled by Lorraine Griffiths
How did you two get together?
We met during art A level in our home town of Poole, Dorset, and just clicked. Then at Bournemouth College, we were handpicked by St Martin's School of Art. We’ve been The Girls for a couple of years – it was our nickname. We have better ideas together than we ever do apart, and we support each other in this backstabbing business.
What’s in your kit bag?
Vaseline, Copydex and spare nylons (American Tan). For every project, we hire different cameras and experiment.
Who was your mentor and what was their best advice?
The photography department* at Saint Martin's. Their advice was: ‘control the controls, and do what you do.’
*John Ingledew, Tim Marshall, Gary Wallis, Steve Harries, Dave Hendley
What is your biggest luxury?
Having three years at Saint Martin's to experiment as we did, doing a graphic design degree. We chose to enter lots of competitions to try to establish a profile and for the financial incentive. And it’s exciting to respond to real briefs.
What picture would you kill to have taken?
Someone in the 1930’s or ‘40’s accidentally caught a woman committing suicide just before she hit the pavement – she looks like a rag doll. The chances of that happening, it’s unbelievable.
What’s your best piece of work?
It’s always the last piece because it’s the freshest, and you try to improve every time.
What personal qualities help you do what you do?
Perfectionism and having a shared vision.
The photographer we most admire is…
Madame Yevonde. She pioneered the use of colour photography. She did fantastic portraits and still lifes with a witty twist.
Tell us about the one that got away…
One day sitting on the bus, we spotted two male albino twins in their 20’s. They would have made great portraits – and escorts for us!
Choose one:
Black and white or colour?
Colour
Sahara desert or Arctic circle?
Arctic
Handhold or tripod?
Handhold
35mm or medium format?
Medium format
Flash or natural light?
Natural light
What is your favourite picture of all time?
It changes depending on what we’re working on, and the theme, but one springs to mind – ‘Senior Prom, St Petersburg, Florida, 1986’ by Mary Ellen Mark. The intensity of emotion just sums up being a teenager really.
How do you fuel your creativity?
We collect references obsessively, from china shops, postcards, old books..
Who would you most like to share a photo booth with?
Duran Duran – as they looked in 1981. All five of them.
What do you wish you were better at?
Putting names to faces. We’re meeting so many new people now, it gets tricky.
Compiled by Lorraine Griffiths
Ref:
Date:
16/01/99
Location:
Photographer: